In 1934, following the era of Al Capone and the St. Valentine\u2019s Day Massacre, Congress placed restrictions on the sale, purchase and ownership of what it termed \u201cClass 3 weapons,\u201d aka automatic weapons. Fast forward to 2017 Las Vegas \u2013 enabled by a device called a bump stock, Stephen Paddock killed 59 people and injured more than 500 in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.<\/p>\n

Was Paddock using automatic weapons? Not really, but with a bump stock, a legal AR15 semi-automatic becomes every bit as lethal as the Tommy guns of the roaring twenties.<\/p>\n

How did the modern bump stock come about? Ask its developer Jeremiah Cottle of Moran, TX. [from an article on Tactical Life.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a recreational shooter my entire life, and I\u2019ve always enjoyed shooting full-auto weapons. At the same time, purchasing a Class 3 firearm is outrageously expensive, not to mention it requires a mountain of paperwork sure to give you life-threatening paper cuts. I had bump fired in the past, but it was completely uncontrollable, unsafe and unusable. I wanted to find a way to change that, to make bump firing safer and more controlled.<\/p>\n

So, I thought about it, and I prayed about it. Ultimately, I decided to go for it. I used all of my savings from the military, sold everything in my house that wasn\u2019t nailed down and started making 3D-printed models and solving problems. Finally, I sent the stock to the BATFE [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] when I had a design that was close to being commercially ready. I was so happy when I got the word that it was approved.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cottle\u2019s company, Slide Fire<\/a> is the principal manufacturer of the bump stock. Its promotional videos are chilling. Have a look at their showpiece.<\/p>\n